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Vietnam Bans Roundup/Glyphosate, then the Nation That Endured Agent Orange is Chastised by US Agriculture Secretary Printer friendly page Print This
By Stephen Fox
OpEdNews
Friday, Apr 19, 2019

Hoang Trung, head of Plant Protection Department under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture posted on the department's website that long-term exposure to herbicides and pesticides affects the environment and is severely unhealthy for those exposed. "The decision to remove herbicides containing glyphosate from the list of plant protection chemicals permitted for use in Vietnam is in accordance with international regulations."

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently criticized Vietnam's move to ban imports of glyphosate-based herbicides, saying the decision would have "devastating impacts on global agricultural production."

Perdue said the U.S. government had shared scientific studies with Vietnam concluding that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans.

"As I've often said, if we're going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, farmers worldwide need all the tools and technologies at our disposal. In addition to the immediate effect of slowing the development of Vietnamese agricultural production, there's the very real risk that Vietnam's farmers will turn to unregulated, illegal chemical products in place of glyphosate. Vietnam also needs to look at the potential ramifications for its own farmers."

"On numerous occasions, USDA has shared scientific studies with MARD from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other internationally recognized regulatory bodies concluding that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans. This ban flies on the face of that scientific evidence. Furthermore, Vietnam has sidestepped its obligation to notify this regulatory change to the World Trade Organization."

Vietnam's government said that the toxic level of herbicides containing glyphosate had been of concern for a very long time, and Vietnamese media reports said the ban would take effect in June.

Hoang Trung, head of the Plant Protection Department under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in a statement posted on the department's website that long-term exposure to herbicides and pesticides affects the environment and is severely unhealthy for those exposed. "The decision to remove herbicides containing glyphosate from the list of plant protection chemicals permitted for use in Vietnam is in accordance with the current law, international regulations and in line with Vietnam's socio-economic conditions."

Glyphosate is currently the subject of thousands of lawsuits in the US accusing that exposure to it causes several kinds of cancer. Roundup, which Bayer acquired with its $63 billion purchase of Monsanto last year, was the first to contain glyphosate, the world's most widely used weed killer. However, it is no longer protected by patents and many other versions are available. The World Health Organization's cancer arm in 2015 classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

Bayer said Vietnam's ban will not improve food security or safety in the country and that the company was not aware of any new scientific assessment undertaken by Vietnam's government on which the decision is based. "The overwhelming weight of over four decades of extensive science and the conclusions of regulators worldwide ... support the safety of glyphosate-based herbicide products."

Sri Lanka prohibited glyphosate use in 2015 but reversed its decision for tea and rubber last year after farmers said the ban hurt businesses, according to Bayer.

Vietnam's ban is already having repercussions in the ranks of Australian wheat growers. Vietnam is Australia's fourth-largest grain importer.

Vietnam Government's decision to ban glyphosate means all herbicides containing glyphosate will not be imported into the country, according to Vietnam's Plant Protection Department.

Changes to the glyphosate restrictions on imports will most certainly impact thousands of Australian growers. Australia's grain growing peak body, GrainGrowers, said the safety of glyphosate was well-established and it was confident the ban would not affect the export of grain to the country. GrainGrowers chairman Brett Hosking said there had been rumors that Vietnam was looking at banning the chemical. "They're a really valuable trading partner and so we respect their right to make decisions about how they manage things like glyphosate in their country. There is already a standard around the world for residue limits and all grain exported out of Australia is tested and we know very confidently that the grain we export meets those thresholds for residues. Glyphosate isn't a product that commonly finds itself in grain residues. The way chemicals are handled and used on Australian farms is in a very professional way, there's very little handling of chemical these days. Glyphosate is vital to farming systems around the world, it is instrumental in the provision of reliable, high-quality and safe food supplies." Hosking said he wasn't aware of any other country where there was a glyphosate ban in place.

According to GrainGrowers regulatory authorities in the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States have publicly reaffirmed within the past three years that glyphosate was safe to use in accordance with label instructions.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources said in a statement that the Vietnamese Government had taken action to restrict the import and use of products containing glyphosate in the future, with the full effect not until early 2020. "The Vietnamese Government has not indicated its intentions relating to the lawful use of similar products in other countries on commodities imported into Vietnam. Past Vietnamese domestic restrictions have not translated to restrictions on the importation of treated commodities."

The department said it was "experienced in working with trading partners to maintain our exports in such circumstances. The Australian Government remains satisfied with the decision of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority that products containing glyphosate are safe when used in accordance with the label instructions."


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